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UNH hires former Attorney General Delaney to investigate reporting delays on athletic improprieties

DURHAM — The University of New Hampshire announced Wednesday that it has hired former New Hampshire Attorney General Michael Delaney to lead an investigation into reporting delays of improprieties involving an athletics department worker.

The statement does not name the athletics department worker. But dates in the statement align the announcement with the Feb. 21 arrest of Scott A. Weitzell, a former part-time UNH men's basketball staffer charged with trying to take video and still images of the team in a locker room.

Last week, UNH President Mark Huddleston said he was deeply troubled that the misconduct, which took place in late January, was not reported to university administrators until Feb. 20.

In a four-paragraph statement, UNH said the investigation could expand to include the entire University System of New Hampshire. At this point, Delaney and the McLane law firm are only looking at the university's response to alleged incidents of misconduct by a UNH athletics department employee, the statement said.

"Mr. Delaney and his colleagues will have full access to necessary resources and personnel to ensure a thorough and timely investigation into the reporting delays," said university President Mark Huddleston in the statement.

"Our students and their parents count on us to act swiftly and decisively when we learn of misconduct. We, in turn, count on every member of our campus community to report any and all forms of misconduct without delay."

Weitzell is at the center of a joint criminal investigation involving UNH and University of Vermont police and was arrested by Newmarket police Feb. 21 on charges he tried to keep his cellphone from authorities when they attempted to seize it.

In earlier news reports, UNH said administrators and the university's athletic director did not learn of the allegations until Feb. 20. The part-time director of basketball operations was suspended Feb. 21 and fired four days later.